Device for the continuous watering of plants

ABSTRACT

A device for the continuous watering of plants, including a reservoir provided at its lower part with a base having at least one opening, the reservoir being connected by its base to a stabilization leg which contains an absorbing or filtering material and ends into a tapered soil penetration guide. The stabilization leg has at least one blade connected to a central hollow tube containing the absorbing or filtering material and having at least one opening provided for creating a communication between the absorbing or filtering material and the soil. The absorbing or filtering material is positioned in such a way that at least one wick connected to the reservoir and suspended above the absorbing or filtering material acts as a drip.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to the continuous watering of plants.

Conventional methods and devices are already known for continuouswatering or irrigation, some of which consist in:

regrouping plants on trays filled with water and gravel or on spongymats impregnated with water, humidifying by capillarity between a bucketof water and the soil in the pot;

the use of bottles equipped with small pipes for feeding water to thesoil of the plants by siphoning.

Said methods are tedious, long to implement, hardly reliable, uncertainand they require know-how, care and experience in order to be efficient.

Moreover, the different systems currently found on the market, make useof a distribution of water under pressure and are therefore more adaptedto fixed garden equipments than to temporary fittings for momentarilyensuring the survival of indoor plants. Indeed, the correspondinginstallations are expensive, long to implement, rigid and cumbersome. Inaddition, they involve numerous connections to be fitted carefully andreliably, as any leaks could cause flooding due to the constant pressureprevailing inside the pipes and inside the different accessories.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is the object of the present invention to solve satisfactorily theaforesaid technical problems.

This object is reached with a device for the continuous watering ofplants, comprising a reservoir, provided at its lower part with a basehaving at least one opening, the reservoir being connected by its baseto a stabilization leg which contains an absorbing or filtering materialand ends with a tapered penetration guide, characterized in that thestabilization leg comprises at least one blade connected to a hollowcentral tube containing the absorbing or filtering material and on whichat least one opening is provided for creating a communication betweenthe absorbing or filtering material and the soil, said absorbingmaterial being positioned in such a way that at least one wick connectedto the reservoir and suspended above said absorbing or filteringmaterial acts as a drip.

The device according to the invention can be produced with a reservoirmade entirely from a plastic material which is hard, optionallytransparent, and comprises a lid to prevent quick evaporation. Thisreservoir optionally comprises double walls which are empty or filledwith glass-wool for longer retention of the water.

Said reservoir can take on various shapes (depending on the waterreserves necessary). It may comprise several filters (depending on thevolume of water needed by the plant). The device according to theinvention is easy to implement and economical, and with it, mechanicalstability is improved even in loose soil.

The invention will be more readily understood on reading the followingdescription given with reference to the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIGS. 1a and 1b illustrate views partially in cross-sectional of oneembodiment of the device according to the invention, respectively beforeand after assembly;

FIG. 2 illustrates a bottom plan view of the device of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 illustrates a perspective detail of the device of the invention;

FIG. 4 illustrates a partial cross-section of another embodiment of theinvention; and

FIG. 5 illustrates a top plan view of the device of FIG. 4 with the lidopen.

DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

A device 1 for the continuous watering of plants according to theinvention, is illustrates in FIG. 1a and 1b and comprises, incombination, a reservoir 2 having a lower edge portion 5 engaged with abase 3 having at least one opening 4. The reservoir is connected by thebase 3 to a stabilization leg 6 containing an absorbing or filteringmaterial 7 and ending into a tapered penetration guide 8. Saidstabilization leg 6 comprises at least one blade 9, connected to ahollow tube 10. Said hollow tube 10 receives on the inside the absorbingmaterial 7. Said hollow tube is advantageously provided laterally ofeach blade 9 with at least one opening 11, thus enabling the absorbingmaterial 7 to be in communication with the soil by immediate contact,when the leg 6 is driven into the pot.

Generally, the stabilization leg 6 comprises four blades 9 disposedradially at the periphery of the tube 10. Said blades are thereforeinterconnected axially at one of their edges by said hollow tube 10.Said hollow tube 10 contains the absorbing material 7. Said hollow tube10 is provided between said four blades with a row of holes 11 or with alongitudinal slot thus enabling the absorbing material 7 to be in directcommunication with the soil when the leg 6 is driven into the pot. It isimportant that said rows of holes 11 allow a direct contact between atleast part of the absorbing material 7 and the soil into which thestabilization leg 6 is sunk. The reservoir and the stabilization leg arejoined together in a conventional way, for example by being inserted oneinto the other; tightness being achieved by means of an O-ring 12, byscrewing or by clipping.

As illustrated in FIGS. 1a and 1b, the upper face of the base 3 isconcave. The opening 4 in the base 3 is advantageously traversed by tworigid or supple threaded half-shells 14. Said two threaded half-shells14 tightly enclose at least one wick 15.

The wick 15 projects slightly from the lower end of the two threadedhalf-shells, and is spaced at a distance from the absorbing material 7contained axially in the stabilization leg 6. The wick 15 is syntheticmaterial and, preferably, containing polyester. Normally, the size ofthe wick 15 ranges between 1 and 5 cm.

The absorbing material 7 is preferably a water-absorbing sponge or foam,advantageously constituted of a permeable synthetic material (such aspolyurethane foam or open-celled expanded polystyrene). The reservoir 2,the blades 9, and the hollow tube 10 are preferably produced in plasticmaterial. The reservoir 2 is advantageously provided with a lid 17having one or more holes 16. The reservoir can comprise a double wall 18and generally has a capacity ranging between 0.5 and 10 liters.

To obtain a continuous watering of plants with a device according to theinvention, the stabilization leg 6 is driven into the soil, proximate tothe plant or plants to be watered.

Due to the tapered penetration guide 8, the planting into the soil iseasily done. The reservoir 2 is filled with water or with an aqueoussolution such as for example an aqueous solution of mineral salts. Thewater or aqueous solution flows dropwise (see FIG. 3) through theopening 4 of the base 3 of the reservoir 2, while passing through thewick 15 clasped between the threaded half-shells 14. The drops of liquidfall onto the absorbing material 7 contained in the hollow tube 10 fixedaxially in the stabilization leg 6. The wick 15 as well as thehalf-shells 14 clasping it (FIG. 3) are positioned above said absorbingmaterial 7 whereby the absorbing material 7 receives, in the bestpossible way, the liquid dripping from the reservoir.

This liquid spreads along the absorbing material 7 and then reaches thesoil which is moistened under its contact.

A particularly advantageous feature is that the opening 4 at the base 3of the reservoir 2 is traversed by threaded half-shells 14 tightlyenclosing the wick 15. Indeed, the wick 15 of which the upper end isimmersed in the liquid of the reservoir 2, facilitates a great deal, thecontrolled drop-by-drop supply of the liquid on the absorbing material7.

The base 3 of the reservoir 2 is independent of the latter and fast withthe upper part of the stabilization leg 6. As a variant, said base 3 canalso be provided so as to be fast with the reservoir 2 at a slightdistance from its lower edge portion 5 so as to define the elasticallyinsertable (assembly by clipping or bayonet fitting) or threaded base.

According to yet another variant or embodiment, the base 3 is producedin the form of a separate removable piece insertable in a correspondinghousing provided at the upper part of the leg 6 and topped with thereservoir 2. In this latter case, the base 3 with the wick 15 are heldin operating position by the reservoir 2 resting on the leg 6, saidresting position being reinforced by the pressure of the liquid in saidreservoir 2.

FIGS. 4 and 5 illustrate another embodiment of the invention in which ablade fast with a pointed or tapered guide is screwed under the base ofsaid reservoir, thereby making it easier to drive the device into thesoil. Prior to this, a dismountable filter is fitted over said blade.The assembly is screwed under the reservoir of water, under which thinslots are created in order to temporize the drip of water towards thefilter. Said filter, which is entirely made of plastic material,comprises two screens compressing a felt cloth which, when the device isassembled, comes to nest into two slots provided under the reservoir ofwater.

It is worth noting that the watering will be performed permanently insmall continuous doses.

FIG. 5 illustrates the walls 101, 104 of the plastic reservoir 116 whichhas, like the reservoir 2, double walls which can remain empty orcontain glass-wool 105.

The device illustrated in FIGS. 4 and 5 comprise in combination, thereservoir of water 116 connected at its lower part to a leg constitutedof a small blade 109 and of a guide 110 supporting a filter 113 adaptedto be brought into immediate contact with the soil by being driven intothe pot. The reservoir 116 is equipped with a lid 102 provided withholes 106 to help the water to go down towards the filter 113.

The watering device according to FIG. 4 further comprises an inlaidfemale nut 103 adapted to receive the threading 108 when the device isfinally assembled. Before this, the blade 109 will receive a hollow tubeor conduit 111 which, together with the base portion 107 of thereservoir, will make it possible to hold efficiently the filter 113.Said latter will, when the device is assembled, come into abutment atits lower end against the guide 110, and in facing relationship at itsupper end to the reservoir and to the shoulder piece 114. The filter 113is likewise made of plastic material and is constituted of two screens115 clasping a felt cloth which is provided on its upper sides withslots to enable the water flowing from the reserve 116 to come intoimmediate contact with the felt cloth whose role it is to supply theplant with water.

The filter 113 comprises two flat sides in order to make it easier forthe plant to absorb the water, said flat sides being joined to a centralpart designed to be threaded over the blade 109 and to be protectedlaterally by the two screens 115.

The reservoir as well as its lid 102 comprise double walls 101, 104thereby enabling a longer watering time due to the insulation whichlimits the evaporation of the water.

The reservoir is provided at its base with stop means for positioningthe opening 106 of the reservoir 116 in aligned facing relationship tothe filter 113.

The guide 110 is provided laterally with triangular faces of which thebase situated horizontally upwardly, corresponds substantially to thewidth of the filter 113 and of the screen 115 containing it, while thethickness between its lateral faces corresponds substantially to thethickness of the filter 113 and of the screen 115 containing it.

Said thickness reduces towards the point of the guide in order to helpits penetration into the soil and to define the position of the filter.

What is claimed is:
 1. A device for the continuous watering of plants,comprising a reservoir provided with a base having at least one openingdefined therein, an elongate stabilization leg joined to said reservoirby said base, said stabilization leg, longitudinally remote from saidbase, terminating in a tapered soil penetration guide, saidstabilization leg comprising a central hollow tube aligned with said atleast one opening and containing an absorbing material, at least oneblade fixed to said tube and extending laterally therefrom, said centralhollow tube having a longitudinal aperture defined therein and offsetfrom said at least one blade, at least one wick extending through saidopening in said base and extending below said opening to a point inspaced relation above said absorbing material for a drip transfer ofwatering liquid from said reservoir to said absorbing material in saidcentral hollow tube for subsequent distribution to the plant throughsaid longitudinal aperture in a controlled manner.
 2. The device asclaimed in claim 1 including two opposed half-shells clamped about saidwick and fixed within said opening in said base for a fixed positioningof said wick therein.
 3. The device as claimed in claim 1 wherein saidat least one blade comprises multiple blades connected to and extendingaxially along said central hollow tube at peripherally spaced pointsthereabout.
 4. The device as claimed in claim 3 wherein said blades aresubstantially longitudinally coextensive with said stabilization leg. 5.The device as claimed in claim 4 wherein additional longitudinalapertures are provided, said apertures being positioned with at leastone between each pair of adjacent blades.
 6. The device as claimed inclaim 5 wherein said apertures are substantially longitudinallycoextensive with said stabilization leg.
 7. The device as claimed inclaim 5 wherein said base has a concave upper face above which said wickprojects for extension of said wick into said reservoir.
 8. The deviceas claimed in claim 1 wherein said base has a concave upper face abovewhich said wick projects for extension of said wick into said reservoir.9. The device as claimed in claim 1 wherein said wick is of a syntheticmaterial.
 10. The device as claimed in claim 1 wherein said absorbingmaterial is of a sponge-like material.